The Cookout (2004)

5% of critics liked it
(43 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(7,141 ratings)

When Todd Anderson (Storm P) signs a 30-million-dollar contract with the New Jersey Nets after being named the number one NBA draft pick of the year, his mother (Jenifer Lewis) vows to prevent her son from forgetting his roots. Not used to balancing his new life with his old, Todd mistakenly invites… More When Todd Anderson (Storm P) signs a 30-million-dollar contract with the New Jersey Nets after being named the number one NBA draft pick of the year, his mother (Jenifer Lewis) vows to prevent her son from forgetting his roots. Not used to balancing his new life with his old, Todd mistakenly invites family and friends from his old neighborhood to his multi-million-dollar house for a cookout on the same day of an important endorsement interview. Though his extravagant family cookouts were welcome at his old digs, Todd's stuffy new neighbors -- particularly the conservative Republican Judge Halsted Crowley (Danny Glover) -- are less than thrilled with the arrival of Todd's massive family. Complicating the situation further is the eccentric neighborhood security guard (Queen Latifah), who takes on the heady assignment of ensuring that none of the private community's rules are broken, as well as two thugs who, determined to get an autographed pair of sneakers, hold up the cookout at gunpoint. Directed by Lance Rivera, The Cookout also features performances from Ja Rule, Eve, Farrah Fawcett, and Jonathan Silverman. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Lance Rivera
Written By: Laurie Turner, Jeffrey Brian Holmes, Arthur Harris, Ramsey Gbelawoe
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 3, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Jan 18, 2005
Studio: Lions Gate Films

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
This is one dull party.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Todd's payday apparently sends comedy backward in time, and we're in the 1970s, ethno-sitcom style.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
A painfully unfunny, would-be comedy.
Akiva Gottlieb, Village Voice
The pointlessness of The Cookout exudes a modicum of charm, but the simple-minded mess still lacks the wit and moral weight of an episode of Family Matters.
Joe Leydon, Variety
Proceeds at a rambling pace without developing much in the way of comic momentum or scoring many laugh-out-loud high points.
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
The jokes are not just stale; they can also be labor-intensive.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Avoid this gross, raunchy comedy at all costs.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
The very definition of an easy target--and, in all fairness, it deserves every last bit of criticism.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
Director Lance Rivera has never directed a movie before, and he doesn't start here.
Keith Phipps, AV Club
Seemingly assembled from ideas on the cutting-room floor of a cancelled sitcom.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Uma "comédia" sem a menor graça que, com seus estereótipos ofensivos a brancos, negros e homossexuais, falha não só do ponto de vista cinematográfico, mas também humano.
Frank Ochieng, TheWorldJournal.com
...a taxing and intolerable vehicle that has all the charm of a gold-toothed rapper's root canal. The Cookout is certainly not any food for thought.
Anthony Del Valle, Las Vegas Mercury
It's low comedy and it's crudely made. But that's no excuse for it being dull.
Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle
Everything else here -- from the gross caricatures to the so-called comic mayhem -- is sour to taste.
Vince Koehler, Entertainment Spectrum
Plenty of action and confusion in this wild story that culminates in a cookout.
Timothy Knight, Reel.com
The movie unfolds in the most perfunctory fashion. At least the food looks good.
David Noh, Film Journal International
It does provide some true laughs and, incredibly, some real humanity.
Brooke Holgerson, Boston Phoenix
Director Lance Rivera raises some legitimate questions about moving up versus selling out and the commodification of professional athletes, but he couldn't care less about answering them.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Rippin' and Dippin'
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
This is one more entry in the long list of 'urban comedies' that dish out the kind of humor that would probably spark protests if the filmmakers weren't African-American.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Remi L

The laughs were lukewarm

Cast

            Ja Rule as Bling Bling

            Tim Meadows as Uncle Leroy

            Storm P as Todd Anderson

            Meagan Good as Brittany

            Jonathan Silverman as Wes Riley

            Farrah Fawcett as Mrs. Crowley

            Queen Latifah as Security Guard

            Gerry Bamman as Butler

            Rita Owens as Aunt Nettie

            Marcia Reed as Ms. Peters

            Ruperto Vanderpool as Wheezer

            Marvin H. Albert as Marv Albert

            Elton Brand as Elton Brand

            Baron Davis as Baron Davis

            Mark Cuban as Mark Cuban

            Reg E. Cathey as Frank Washington

            Frankie Faison as Jojo Anderson

            Danny Glover as Judge Halsted Crowley

            Jenifer Lewis as Lady Em

            Carl Wright as Grandpa

            Alice Wright as Grade School Bling Bling

            Jerod Mixon as Willie

            Jamal Mixon as Nelson

            Deep Katdare as Clerk

            Eve as Becky

            Marc Plastrik as Police Chief

            Thomas James O'Leary as Reporter #1

            Lance Spellerberg as Sven

            Wendy Williams as Reporter #2

            Otis Best as Grade School Todd

            Kevin L. Phillips as Jamal Washington

            Denee Busby as Little Dee

            Shawn Andrew as Jerome

            Jesse May as Olivier

            Peggy Cosgrave as Mrs. Atwater

            William Stone Mahoney as Commissioner

            Walter L. Simpson III as A.J.

            Wilhelm Lewis as Wayne

            Antonio Walker as Young Thug

            Sandra Mills Scott as Nurse

            Channelle Nazaire as Grade School Becky

            Rodney Henry Jr. as Grade School Wheezer

            Alex Avant as Police Officer

            Divine Compere as Young Cousin

            Hasani Houston as Light Skinned Boy

            Julian Douglas as Two Year Old Baby

            Mehki Clayton-Smith as Two Year Old Baby

            DJ Enuff as Himself

            Roxy Noffz as Cookie Girl
See full cast